Research and Statistics -- DLI statistics descriptions

M, N, O

Employers cover themselves for workers' compensation in one of three ways. The most common is to purchase insurance in the "voluntary market," so named because an insurer may choose whether to insure any particular employer. Employers unable to insure in the voluntary market may do so through the Assigned Risk Plan (ARP), the insurance program of last resort administered by the Department of Commerce. Employers meeting certain financial requirements may self-insure.

This figure shows the market shares of the three insurance arrangements, as measured by paid indemnity claims. Pure premium is a measure of risk or expected losses. It is equal to payroll multiplied by the applicable pure premium rate(s) (reflecting expected losses per unit of payroll), adjusted for individual employers' prior loss experience. It is different from (and somewhat lower than) the actual premium charged to employers, because actual premium includes other insurance company costs. "Year earned" refers to the year paid for the payroll on which the pure premium is based.

This table, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows the case counts for industries in Minnesota. The figures should be viewed with caution, because some of the differences, especially in the smaller sectors, may represent sampling variation rather than actual differences in case incidence. For more information about sampling error in the BLS survey, see "Reliability of estimates" at the BLS website.

This table, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows incidence rates for industries in Minnesota. The figures should be viewed with caution, because some of the differences, especially in the smaller sectors, may represent sampling variation rather than actual differences in case incidence. For more information about sampling error in the BLS survey, see "Reliability of estimates" at the BLS website.

Figure A shows the estimated total number of paid Minnesota workers' compensation claims. Total claims are divided into indemnity and medical-only claims (see Glossary for definitions). The figures are by "injury year," meaning claims are counted in the year of injury or onset of illness. Indemnity claims are rounded to the nearest hundred; medical-only and total claims are rounded to the nearest thousand.

The indemnity claims numbers are from the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) claims database. They are "developed," meaning they are projections of what the final numbers will be after all claims and payments are complete and reported to the department. Because medical-only claims are not reported to DLI, the numbers of medical-only and total claims are estimated using the ratio of medical-only to indemnity claims from insurance data. See Appendix for data sources and estimation procedures.

Figure B shows the numbers of paid indemnity claims with selected types of benefits by year of injury. Claims with temporary total disability (TTD) benefits and/or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits are counted together because the two benefit types are not distinguished in the department database.

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P, Q, R

This figure shows the utilization of statutory vocational rehabilitation services. Utilization of vocational rehabilitation services is measured as the ratio of the number of claims with a vocational rehabilitation plan filed to the number of paid indemnity claims. It does not include claims where injured workers received assistance in returning to work from their employer or insurer through a disability management program without filing a formal plan with the department. Receipt by the Department of Labor and Industry of a Rehabilitation Plan form is a reliable indicator of whether an injured worker is receiving statutory vocational rehabilitation services. In a very few instances, a plan is filed but the worker does not receive services. In other instances, services are delivered without a form filed. The algorithm for estimating the developed number of claims with plans filed includes an estimate for those claims where a vocational rehabilitation plan is not received or is received only at the conclusion of services.

Figure A shows the estimated total number of paid Minnesota workers' compensation claims per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) covered workers. Total claims are divided into indemnity and medical-only claims (see Glossary for definitions). The figures are by "injury year," meaning claims are counted in the year of injury or onset of illness. Indemnity claims are rounded to the nearest hundred; medical-only and total claims are rounded to the nearest thousand.

The indemnity claims numbers are from the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) claims database. They are "developed," meaning they are projections of what the final numbers will be after all claims and payments are complete and reported to the department. Because medical-only claims are not reported to DLI, the numbers of medical-only and total claims are estimated using the ratio of medical-only to indemnity claims from insurance data. See Appendix for data sources and estimation procedures.

Figure B shows the numbers of paid indemnity claims with selected types of benefits by year of injury, expressed as rates per 100 FTE covered workers. Claims with temporary total disability (TTD) benefits and/or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits are counted together because the two benefit types are not distinguished in the department database.

This figure shows the percentage of paid indemnity claims with selected types of benefits by year of injury. Claims with temporary total disability (TTD) benefits and/or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits are counted together because the two benefit types are not distinguished in the department database.

This figure shows the rates of total cases, lost-workday cases and days-away-from-work cases in the private sector for Minnesota and the United States. The data, from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, is limited to the private sector, because the U.S. data is only available for the private sector. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, participating states have the option to include their public sectors. Because not all states choose this option, public-sector data is not available at the national level.

Pure premium rates

Pure premium rates are projected cash and medical benefits per $100 of payroll. The Minnesota Workers' Compensation Insurers Association computes Minnesota's pure premium rate for each payroll class. The pure premium rates are advisory rates used by insurance companies to help set rates for workers' compensation insurance and are the basis for the rates used in the Assigned Risk Plan. The table shows the statewide average rate for each year as a percentage of the rate for 1984, the first year of Minnesota's competitive insurance pricing system. The rates are published in the fall of the year before they become effective and are to be used for insurance company rates during the indicated year.